Appearance on Good Morning Britain (1984)

Interviewer: Nick Owen

Produced by: TV-am

"[??]" is used to indicate uncertain
transcription phrases.

The show's host introduces a pre-produced segment
that features Wendy:

NO : "It's just
gone ten past eight; a very good morning to you. Now one of the items
we particularly enjoy here at TV-am is our weekly Friday feature "Fantasy
Time". And this week, we asked actress Wendy Richard if there is a
secret lifetime ambition which we could help her fulfill, and to our surprise,
lovely Wendy chose to train as a firewoman for a day. Well, we asked
the firemen from Bow Fire Station in east London if they would like to
include an extra pair of hands, and they very kindly agreed to put Wendy
through her paces. So, we join them at role call . . ."

Wendy is seen learning how to use a spray hose,
going five stores up on a hydraulic rescue platform, and kitted up with
mask and air tank in order to go into a smoke-filled room and rescue a
teddy bear. At the conclusion of the five-minute-long segment, Wendy
is seen back in the studio with Nick Owen.

NO : "And our
thanks to Graham Russell, Steve McLachlan, and all the other lads at Bow
Fire Station for giving us such a great day. Did you enjoy your
fantasy, Wendy?"

WR : "Oh, yes,
it was fantastic. I tell ya, those boys on Red Watch, they are
the business, they really are smashing. . ."

NO : "And it
wasn't a very nice day, weather-wise."

WR : "No, no.
I mean, not only did I get this as a souvenir --" (proudly holds up a yellow fire
helmet) "-- I've got a
wonderful cold as well . . ."

NO : "So you
feel really row, do you?"

WR : "Yes, I do
feel a bit off this morning . . ."

NO : "Well,
you're looking wondeful; it's good to have you here today; thanks for
coming. So why did you want to be a firelady?"

WR : "Well, it's
. . . when all the bells and sirens and what have you are going, I think
it's so exciting. You know they're on their way to some disaster, so
it's not much fun for somebody. But I just think it is wonderful, you
know, it's really good."

NO : "Is it a
difficult job? I mean, it would appear to be very difficult."

WR : "Um, yes,
but one of them said, that they do have lady firepeople now . . . or
firepersons -- I don't know what you'd call them now -- but . . . it's the
training, if they're trained to fit anybody, you know, with the proper
training, I suppose it's like any job really, I think women in particular.
They're just fantastic."

NO : "Did you
actually lift anyone?"

WR : "No . . .
One of them . . . I couldn't get in the fire engine! One of them -- I
don't know if you saw it in the film -- he obviously thought about it, but
he gave a new meaning to 'fireman's lift', because he just went wallop, and
I fell on my head in the fire engine, and I couldn't stop laughing!"

NO : "Having had
a go at it, would you have fancied it?"

WR (quietly, but firmly): "No,
I'm not that brave. I think they're all so marvelous. I
couldn't do what they do. I think they're wonderful."

NO : "And you
thoroughly enjoyed it?"

WR : "Oh, yes,
very much."

NO : "That's
good to know. Now can I cast your mind back to the early stage of
your career? Not many people know, that yours is the voice on what?"

WR : "Oh,
Come Outside, yeah, yeah."

NO : "The way
it's being replayed over the years, you should have got a lot of money out
of that."

WR :
"Yeah, I got 15 quid. That was it. And I do wish people
would stop talking about it, because I can't lie about my age. I try
to say I was only 12 when I did it, but it doesn't always work."